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FIFA 21: Best Attacking Tips

Learn How to Attack like a pro with our FIFA 21 attacking tutorial, full of tips and advice for you to become a pro.
FIFA 21: Best Attacking Tips

FIFA players love attacking, and for a good reason. It’s the most satisfying part of the game. There’s nothing better than the feeling of scoring an epic goal. But it’s important to know how to do it effectively because a poorly executed attack will not only make it harder to find an opportunity to score; it will also leave you open.

FIFA 21 gives you many tools to use when attacking, and they’ll help you be as creative as you want to be. It has everything from crosses, ground passes (both driven and threaded), lob passes (both driven and threaded), and through passes.

 

It’s good to know what to use and when, but it all comes down to how well you use them. Here’s a list of some of the different attacking controls at your disposal.

Action Playstation Xbox
Ground Pass/Header X A
Lob Pass/Cross/Header X
Through Pass Y
Threaded Through Pass R1 + △ RB + Y;
Rewind and Try Again L2 + R2 LT + RT;
Protect Ball; L2; LT
Driven Ground Pass R1 + X RB + A
Lofted Ground Pass X + X A + A
Lobbed Through Pass L1 + △ LB + Y
Driven Lobbed Through Pass L1 + R1 + △ LB + RB + Y
Driven Lob Pass/Cross R1 + ▢ RB + X
Lofted Ground Through Pass △ + △ Y + Y
High Lob/Cross L1 + ▢ LB + X
Ground Cross ▢ + ▢ X + X
Whipped Cross L1 + R1 + ▢ LB + RB + X
Driven Ground Cross L1 + ▢ + ▢ LB + X + X

Through passes are a great tool to use, mostly when they’re aimed in the space behind an opponent’s line of defence. They are much harder to predict and intercept, and when timed correctly, they can give your striker a golden opportunity to score a goal. If a defender is standing in your way, you can also send a lobbed through pass or a chipped pass over their head to prevent an interception.

FIFA21_BestAttackingTips
(c) EA Sports

Keep in mind, though, that a good attack doesn’t need to be a one-off experiment. FIFA 21 lets you build your styles and tactics. Some players like to rely on long-range through balls, while others prefer a slow build-up using short-range passes.

Tactics can be changed in-game using the following buttons, and they’re an excellent way to mix it up and be dynamic.

Action Playstation Xbox
Display Attacking Tactics DPad ⇧ DPad ⇧
Get In The Box DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇧ DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇧
Attacking Full Backs DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇦ DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇦
Hug Sideline DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇨ DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇨
Extra Striker DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇩ DPad ⇧ + DPad ⇩

However, there’s still more to attacking than passing and crossing and even tactics. You’ll want to utilise everything at your disposal, including movement and shooting.Knowing how to dribble is also crucial in FIFA 21. Different combinations will result in different attacking styles, and in time, you’ll find one or several that suit you best.

As far as general tips go, a simple but effective place for a newcomer to start is to pick a team that has pacey wingers. Pass them the ball and use their speed to sprint down the wing and make a cross into the box.

If your opponent starts catching on, or you’re not having much luck, you can try running towards the box instead. If you’re successful, you might be able to draw a defender forward, which will create an opening. From there, you could pass the ball to an unmarked striker and secure an easy goal.

If that isn’t your style, you could focus on doing short passes. After all, the ball can move a lot quicker than a player can, as the coaches in junior football used to say. Not only will this help you maintain possession, but if you’re accurate enough and smart enough with your decision-making, you’ll either create an opening or eventually frustrate your opponent enough to make one for you.

However, perhaps the most important tip of all is to mix up your attack. You’ll want to get into the habit of making different plays at different times. Not only will it give you a chance to try them all, but it will keep your opponent guessing and potentially even rattle them, which can go a long way. Football is a sport with a lot of depth, and naturally, that means a football simulator like FIFA does as well (even more so with the recent changes to make FIFA 21 feel like real football again ). It’s unwise to be too predictable on the pitch both in-game and in real life.

If you’re too dependent on any specific attacking style, whether it’s possession, long-balls, or aimlessly sprinting, you’ll be limiting yourself. A good attack is a versatile one, so don’t be afraid to have a few different tricks up your sleeve.

 

For all the tutorials about FIFA 21, visit our Beginners and Advanced guides:

FIFA21_allGuides